PeersO.16.18: A decorative pattern of red and black vertical and horizontal lines, five line spaces in length, is appended to the descender
of the <P> in Peers. þe plowman quod I þoo  & al for pure Ioye

videatis qui peccat in spiritum sanctum  nonnumquam remittetur & cetera hoc est idem qui peccat per liberum arbitrium non repugnatO.16.49: This line begins in the right margin of l. 48, breaks after in, then wraps around to occupy the next full line space.

O.16.50KD.16.48

Ac whanne þe feend & þe flesch  forþ wiþ þe werld

O.16.51KD.16.49

Manacen bihynde me  my fruyt for to fecche

O.16.52KD.16.50

Þanne liberum arbitrium  laccheþ þe first plante

O.16.53KD.16.51

And palleþ adoun þe pouke  purilicheO.16.53: OC2 alone have the form puriliche; all other beta witnesses have pureliche. þoruȝ grace

IO.16.58: This capital is decorated with an elaborate spray in black and red, four lines in height.n what wode þei waxen  & where þat þei growedenO.16.58: O alone has the form groweden; most B manuscripts have growed.

O.16.59KD.16.57

For al yliche been þei longeO.16.59: OC2 alone have this form of the a-verse; most B manuscripts have "For alle are þei aliche longe."  non lasse þan oþer

O.16.60KD.16.58

And to my mynde as me þinkeþ  on oo moore þei growenO.16.60: GYOC2 alone have a present-tense form.

O.16.61KD.16.59

And of oo gretnesse & grene  of ooO.16.61: OC2 alone include the second occurrence of oo. greyn þei semen

O.16.62KD.16.60

Þat is soþ quod peers  so it myȝteO.16.62: GOC2 alone have myȝte in place of may. bifalle

O.16.63KD.16.61

I schal telle þee as tyte  what þis tree hatte

O.16.64KD.16.62

Þe ground þere it groweþ goodnesse it hiȝte

O.16.65KD.16.63

And I haue told þee . what hiȝte þe tree  þe trinite it meneþ

O.16.66KD.16.64

And egrelich he lokede on me  & þerfore I sparede 

O.16.67KD.16.65

To axen hym any more þerof  & bade hym ful fayre 

O.16.68KD.16.66

To discryue þe fruyt  þat so fayre hangeþ

O.16.69KD.16.67

Heer now bi-neþe quod he þoo  if I nede hadde

O.16.70KD.16.68

Matrimoyne I may nyme  a moyst fruyt wiþ-alle

O.16.71KD.16.69

ÞatO.16.71: GYOC2 alone have Þat in place of Thanne. contynence is neer þe crop  as aO.16.71: OC2 alone include a. calewey bastard

O.16.72KD.16.70

Þanne bereþ þe crop kynde fruyt  & clennest of alle

O.16.73KD.16.71

Maydenhed aungelis peres  & rapestO.16.73: YOC2 alone have rapest in place of raþest. woldeO.16.73: OC2 alone have wolde in place of wole. be ripe

O.16.74KD.16.72

And swete wiþ-outen swellyng  sour worþ it neuere

O.16.75KD.16.73

I preyede peers to pulle adoun  an appel & he wolde

O.16.76KD.16.74

And suffre me to assaye  what sauour it hadde

O.16.77KD.16.75

And peers caste to þe crop  & þanne comsede it to crye

O.16.78KD.16.76

And waggede wydewehod  & it wepte after

O.16.79KD.16.77

And whanne it mouede matrimoyne  it made a foule noyce

O.16.80KD.16.78

Þat I hadde ruþe whanne peers roggede  it gradde so rufulliche

O.16.81KD.16.79

For euere as þei droppedenO.16.81: O alone has the form droppeden in place of dropped. adoun  þe deuel was redy

O.16.82KD.16.80

And gaderede hem alle to-gyderes  boþe grete & smale

O.16.83KD.16.81

Adam and eueO.16.83: GYOC2 alone have eue in place of Abraham.  and ysaacO.16.83: OC2 alone have ysaac in place of Ysaye. þe prophete

O.16.84KD.16.82

Sampson & samuel  & seynt Ion þe baptist

O.16.85KD.16.83

Bar hem forþ boldeli  no-body hem lettede

O.16.86KD.16.84

And made of holyO.16.86: OC2 alone lack men before his. his hoord  in lymbo inferni

O.16.87KD.16.85

Þere is derkenesse & drede  & þe deuel mayster

O.16.88KD.16.86

And peers for pure tene  þat oo pile he lauȝte

O.16.89KD.16.87

And hitte after hym  happe how heO.16.89: CR23OC2 alone have he; most B manuscripts have it. myȝte

O.16.90KD.16.88

Filius bi þe fadir wille  & freenesse of spiritus sancti

O.16.91KD.16.89

To go robbe þat ragman  & reue þe fruyt from hym

O.16.92KD.16.90

And þanne spake spiritus sanctus  in gabrieles mouþe

O.16.93KD.16.91

To a mayden þat hiȝte marie  a meke þing wiþ-al

O.16.94KD.16.92

Þat oon iesus a iustises sone  muste iouke in hir chaumbre

O.16.95KD.16.93

Til plenitudo temporis  fulli comen were

O.16.96KD.16.94

Þat peers fruyt flourede  & fel to be ripe

O.16.97KD.16.94.1

Annis quingentis decies rursumque ducentis

O.16.98KD.16.94.2

vnus defuerat cum deus ortus eratO.16.98: A red parasign at the left, two lines in height and with a trailing descender, connects the preceding two lines, which appear
in the bottom margin.O.16.97: Kane and Donaldson (224) exclude ll. 97-98, which occur only in OC2, on the grounds that they are scribal.

And þanne schalO.16.99: COC2 alone have schal in place of sholde.iesus iuste þerfore  bi iugement of armes

O.16.100KD.16.96

Wheþer schulde fonge þe fruyt  þe feend or hym-selue

O.16.101KD.16.97

Þe mayden myldeliche þoo  þe massager grauntede

O.16.102KD.16.98

And seyde heendeliche to hym  lo me his hande-mayden

O.16.103KD.16.99

For to wirchen his wille  wiþ-outen any synne

O.16.104KD.16.99α

Ecce ancilla domini fiat michi & ceteraO.16.104: This line is written in the right margin. It is divided after fiat, and a red parasign precedes the second line of text.

O.16.105KD.16.100

And in þatO.16.105: OC2 alone have þat in place of þe. wombe of þat wenche  was he fourty wokis

O.16.106KD.16.101

Til he wexe a faunt þoruȝ hir flesch  & of fyȝtyng couþe

O.16.107KD.16.102

To haue fouȝten wiþ þe feend  er ful tyme come

O.16.108KD.16.103

And peers þe plowman  parceyuede plener tyme

O.16.109KD.16.104

And lerede hym lechecraft  his lijf forto saue

O.16.110KD.16.105

Þat þouȝ he were woundid wiþ his enemy  to warische hymselue

O.16.111KD.16.106

And dide hym assaye his surgerie  on hem þat seek weren

O.16.112KD.16.107

Til he was parfiȝt practisour  if any perel fel

O.16.113KD.16.108, 110

And souȝte out þe seke  & þe synful boþe

O.16.114KD.16.110, 108

And saluede seke & synful  boþe blynde & croked

O.16.115KD.16.109, 110

And comune wommen conuertede  & to good turnede

O.16.116KD.16.110α

Non est sanis opus medico Set infirmis & ceteraO.16.116: OC2 alone include both infirmis and & cetera.O.16.116: This line is written in the right margin. It is divided after medico, and a red parasign precedes the second line of text.

O.16.117KD.16.111

Boþe meseles & mute  & in þe menysoun blody

O.16.118KD.16.112

Ofte he helede swiche  he helde it for no maystrie

O.16.119KD.16.113

Saue þoo he lechede lazar  þat hadde yleyn in graue

O.16.120KD.16.114

Quotriduanus quelt  quyk dide hym walke

O.16.121KD.16.115

Ac as he made þe maystrie  mestus cepit esse

O.16.122KD.16.116

And wepte water wiþ hise yen  þere seyȝen it many

O.16.123KD.16.117

Summe þat þe siȝt seyȝen  seyden þat tyme

O.16.124KD.16.118

Þat he was leche of lijf  & lord of hye heuene

O.16.125KD.16.119

Iues iangledenO.16.125: O alone has the form iangleden; most B manuscripts have iangled. þer-aȝens  & iuggedenO.16.125: O alone has the form iuggeden; all other beta witnesses have Iuggede. lawes

O.16.126KD.16.120

And seyde he wrouȝte wiþ wichcraft  & wiþ þe deuelis myȝt

O.16.127KD.16.120α

Demonium habes & ceteraO.16.127: This line is written in the right margin. It is divided after demonium, so that it appears as two lines.

O.16.128KD.16.121

Þanne arn ȝe cherlis quod ich  & ȝoure children boþe

O.16.129KD.16.122

And sathan ȝoure saueour  ȝoure-self nowO.16.129: OC2MF alone lack a word between now and witnessen; most B manuscripts have ye. witnessen

Deus meus deus meus vt quid dereliquisti meO.16.221: This line is written in the right margin. It is divided after dereliquisti, and a red parasign precedes the second line of text, which appears above the first.

O.16.222KD.16.215

Þat is . creatour wexe creature  to knowe what was boþe

O.16.223KD.16.216

As widewe wiþ-outen wedlok  was neuere ȝit yseye

O.16.224KD.16.217

No more myȝte god be man  but if he modir hadde

O.16.225KD.16.218

So wydewe wiþ-oute wedlok  may not wel stonde

O.16.226KD.16.219

Ne matrimoyne wiþ-outen mulerie  is not myche to preyse

O.16.227KD.16.219α

Maledictus homo qui non reliquit semen in israel .O.16.227: This line is written in the right margin. It is divided after qui, and a red parasign precedes the second line of text.

O.16.228KD.16.220

Þus in þre persoones  is parfiȝtlich manhood

O.16.229KD.16.221

Þat is man & his make  & mulererO.16.229: O alone has the form mulerer; most B manuscripts have mulliere. children

O.16.230KD.16.222

And is not but gendre of generacioun  bifore iesu crist in heuene

O.16.231KD.16.223

So is þe fader forþ wiþ þe sone  & fre wille of boþe

O.16.232KD.16.223α

Spiritus procedens &O.16.232: OC2 alone have & in place of a. patre & filioO.16.232: This line is written in the right margin.

O.16.233KD.16.224

Which is þeO.16.233: OC2 alone lack holy before goost. goost of al  & al is but oo god